Vega
For the dictator named Vega in Japan, see M. Bison. Vega, known as Balrog (バルログ, Barurogu) in Japan, is one of the bosses of the Street Fighter series. He first appeared as a boss character in Street Fighter II. He is a memorable character, not only for his obsession with beauty, but also for the claw he wields and his unique fighting techniques. Biography The Legacy of Vega *''Street Fighter II (1991)'' **''Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (1992)'' **''Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (1992)'' **''Super Street Fighter II (1993)'' **''Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994)'' **''Hyper Street Fighter II (2003)'' **''Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (2008)'' *''Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998-2011)'' *''Street Fighter IV (2008-2009)'' **''Super Street Fighter IV (2010-2011)'' **''Ultra Street Fighter IV (2014)'' Appearance Vega wears murrey and yellow ceremonial trousers, a red sash, loafers, and white leggings of a matador, suggesting his involvement with bullfighting. This decorative garb also offers matadors ease of movement, and is ideal for Vega's acrobatic maneuvers. Vega also has a purple snake tattoo on his chest, which also circles his arm. This shows him to be a villain to a Japanese audience, where body tattoos are usually worn by Yakuza members. In Capcom vs. SNK 2, as a win pose, Vega will hold his arm out, with the tattoo coming to life and hissing at the opponent. Early sketches suggest that Vega was going to resemble a medieval knight wearing a full suit of armor. This idea was scrapped because Street Fighter was about fighters from all over the world, not time. Remnants of this concept are apparent in Vega's final design, including a mask and a sharp metal claw. This claw is useful for both stabbing and slashing attacks, and gives him a very long range compared to most characters. It is the same type of weapon worn by Geki in the original Street Fighter. Vega does not wear his expressionless mask to conceal his identity; he removes it after fights, during his win poses, as well as in certain character select images in various games he appears in. The mask is purely to protect his face from scarring or bruising during battle, since he believes himself to be impossibly beautiful. This mask is not particularly sturdy; it is smashed in during Vega's lose portrait in Street Fighter II, and Vega himself will crush it to dust with one hand if he loses due to a time over in S''treet Fighter Alpha 3''. In the Street Fighter II series, he was depicted as having light brown hair, although his endings in the first two updates of the original Street Fighter II and many other games in the series state that he has blond hair; his endings in Super Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II Turbo shows him with blond hair. In the Street Fighter II V anime, his hair is a golden blond and he has blue eyes. Since Street Fighter Alpha 3, however, he officially had blond hair until Street Fighter IV, where in gameplay, he has brown hair, and in the ending, he is blond (though this is exclusive to the Arcade version). Much like Sagat's eyepatch in earlier games, Vega's claw will always appear on whatever arm matches the direction he is facing (if he is looking to left side of the screen, it will appear on his left arm, and if he's looking right, it will be on his right) due to sprite mirroring. In the Street Fighter EX series, it will always be on his right arm. In Street Fighter IV, however, he changes his claw every time he switches sides, without mirroring; this can be seen in his tattoo, his accessories, and in the mark on his mask. Curiously enough, during the versus screen, his portrait won't be mirroring all the accesories either, with the unique exception of his claws. Personality Vega's character archetype is very familiar in Japanese anime: the Narcissist (ナルシスト, Narushisuto), often depicted as a long-haired, effeminate self-lover. He is arrogant and convinced of his own abilities and invulnerability, almost to the point of megalomania; though this is perhaps justified, as he is shown to be a highly skilled fighter. He can be incredibly sadistic - sometimes nearly to the point of being a psychopathic, bloodthirsty monster - and takes great pleasure in seeing the ugly murdered through his own doing. Vega's unbridled and solipsistic ego is shown even in his taste in interior decor, as his mansion is decorated with portraits, all of him. Despite his vain personality, Vega's mannerisms will at times show to be elegant and gentlemanly, likely because of his noble background. Additionally, he is also attracted to and impressed by the beauty and strength of young women, notably Chun-Li and Cammy. He also harbors a tragic side. The family trauma he experienced molded his fragile mind to percieve physical unattractivness as not only replusive, but also as a threat. With his beloved mother murdered at the hands of an ugly man, ugliness came to represent evil and cowardice, while beauty represented heroism and strength. 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